Emidio memorial to get flag

Vanessa Nickle, foreground, smooths newly poured concrete Wednesday morning that will support a flagpole at the S.S. Emidio memorial site. The Daily Triplicate/Rick Postal

Local volunteers, with help from the city, poured a concrete pad for a flag at the the memorial in Beachfront Park on Wednesday morning.

“It’s a complement to the S.S. Emidio memorial and memorial bench,” said organizer Roger Christenson. “This is something for the community to rally behind.”

The concrete pad glistened in the sun Wednesday as volunteer Tommy Gavin smoothed and edged the flag’s eventual home.

“Soon as it cures enough we will put the flag in,” Christenson said. “The flag pole is at the city’s yard and it should only be a week or so before we put it in.”

It was World War II’s first attack on a ship along the West Coast and five members of the 36-man Emidio crew were killed. The badly damaged vessel drifted north to Crescent City and remained half-sunk in Crescent City Harbor for 10 years.

In 1951, the ship was scrapped and a fragment of the hull was made into a monument. 

The new flag will be just the most recent in a series of improvements to the Emidio’s monument this year.

Before Memorial Day a large sign was erected to mark the site along Front Street, and an interpretive panel was installed to explain in detail the history and significance of the Emidio.

The hull fragment was repainted from gray to a more historically accurate black.

Also, a new bench was installed next to the Emidio hull fragment, which bears the names of the five Emidio crew members who were killed.

“It’s important to remember and show proper respect,” Christenson said. “I’m happy that people came together to make this work.”